FIFA Could Make Billions From the World Cup. Host Cities Will Get Little in Return.

ProPublica, co-published with the Houston Chronicle and Texas Tribune, reports that FIFA will generate approximately $11 billion in profits from the 2026 World Cup while host cities shoulder hundreds of millions in costs with minimal revenue return. The reporting is substantive and well-sourced: the journalists reviewed actual contracts from six U.S. host cities, interviewed named officials including Alan Rothenberg (former U.S. Soccer president) and Chris Canetti (Houston host committee), and obtained documents through public records requests and attorney general rulings. They provide specific details—$65 million in federal security funding, $263 million in Texas state subsidies since 2015, redacted stadium rental figures—and cite expert analysis from Victor Matheson (College of the Holy Cross), a credentialed economist who has studied event economics for decades. The piece includes FIFA's written response and acknowledges Houston organizers' counterargument that the event will benefit the region. Other major outlets (The Texas Tribune, City Journal) corroborate the core finding that cities bear disproportionate costs while FIFA captures the bulk of revenue, and independent search results show no contradictory reporting on these structural terms. Watch for: the outcome of the World Cup's actual economic impact on host cities (hotel prices are already dropping as the tournament nears), whether Texas and other states' event reimbursement programs can verify positive returns, and whether the secrecy surrounding FIFA contracts faces renewed scrutiny post-2026.